Ways to save money

[Cheap]

The reason I posted my comment above is due to the fact that a Diva Cup was mentioned in a post as a way to save money...but from what I have read, there may be health risks for some women.

[boldjack]

I have been paying 0 interests on all of my credit cards. I saved a lot by paying in full all my cc on or before the due date. The savings that I have each month goes to my cp bill!

[Tatjana]

i got this book, its kind of old, i got it at our library book sale, its called tightwad gazette by amy dcyczyn, but some of the things i do already, like hang laundy outside, use clth diapers, and re-using ziploc bags, i thought there are some good ideas in there, you should be able to find it at your local library. not eating out helps, having a garden helps a little, if you have the space. we are really lucky, my husband and his brother work at the same workplace, so they car-pool, we buy day-old bread and freeze it. we are lucky, both our parents have chickens, so we get free eggs that are free range, and probably dont have all the chemicals in them, and my husband helped his dad slaughter chickens, and we got some to take home. i know its not in everybodys budget, but we got new windows and insulation on our house, so it saves on heating, we*re just waiting for our furnace to blow (hopefully not in the near future though) then we can get a new high efficiency one, most of our appliances are energy star, and hand me downs really help, dont have to buy my son new colthes for some time re-usable shopping bags, some stores are charging for them, and soon more will, and more for them, and now there are so many cute ones out there, or make your own, if you have the skill

[Tatjana]

I thought the topic was "Ways to save money" and not "Intro to petty crime 101"

While stealing stuff from fast food chains is certainly one way to save money. I guess stealing just about anything is a great way to save money. Why don't you stop off at the bathroom before going to see if you can steal some toilet paper? Don't want to spend a lot on a new 42" LCD TV, steal it off the wall, most McDonalds seem to have one now. Stay at a hotel, steal the door knobs and the fixtures, towels and whatever else, and then to allay your guilt call them souvenirs.

Blistex, SavingKarina and Elliot Gyal, shame on you. Those items are put there for your use while you are a customer. To help keep costs down they made them available by the honour system. Do you think that when you steal stuff in this fashion that there is no cost? When you do this it may not put a big dent in their profits, but there is a cost. Not to mention it is an act of being inconsiderate, because when I go to get an item it isn't there after some one else stole it. If you do this enough, and you appear to be advocating doing this as a way to save money, the companies would have no choice but to compensate by increasing prices and/or reducing services.

You can slam all the big corporations all you want, and even justify what you are doing by saying to yourself and others "well they have money". It isn't whether they have money; it's still stealing, no matter how you slice it. It is wrong to have the personal belief that whatever you take from their condiment station is exempt from moral or legal prosecution. A little condiment station over-indulgence isn't that bad, if you are actually using those items in the restaurant. Taking home those items you over estimated you were going to need instead of throwing them in the trash is OK too. Taking more than you need on purpose so that you have extra to take home would not be. Do you know that to curb this form of stealing that some McDonalds are now telling you how many items, like dipping sauce that you are entitled to with your order, and how much getting extra will cost? If you think the type of crime you are engaging in isn't rampant, then that should at least appear as some proof that it is becoming a problem.

From a sociological view point there is already a crime wave that is occurring in our fast foods restaurants. All done in the Robin Hood style of taking from the rich and giving to the poor.

But most importantly, I don't think you should dispense this idea as a good way to save money, when morally it isn't.

i have broght ketchup baggies back (if they put them on your tray, the cashier seem so surprised, and i hate when they ask you if you need ketchup (when you take-out), and they give you so much, its such a waste. and my sister takes the staws, its like you can buy a box of 100 staws for like $2, and why do you need staws at home? my co-worker buys those little bags of splenda (in a big box) at costco, so she doesnt have to bring conainers of it with her.
maybe get a costo membership, if you buy a lot of bulk stuff?

[lekate]

i have broght ketchup baggies back (if they put them on your tray, the cashier seem so surprised, and i hate when they ask you if you need ketchup (when you take-out), and they give you so much, its such a waste. and my sister takes the staws, its like you can buy a box of 100 staws for like $2, and why do you need staws at home? my co-worker buys those little bags of splenda (in a big box) at costco, so she doesnt have to bring conainers of it with her.
maybe get a costo membership, if you buy a lot of bulk stuff?

It's completely different when the cashier/server hands you a pile and you taking more than you need so that you can bring them home with you.

[FallenPixels]

Many restaurants can't reuse stuff you bring back up, even the little ketchup packets as they are no longer considered 'safe' - sad we live in a world like that but when people are sticking pins in packages of meat I understand why they would do it

[Tatjana]

all in good fun, but.....

"Raising a child can be an expensive undertaking, with the first year being the most expensive. In 2004, over $10,000 was needed to raise a child to age 1. Parents spent the least amount of money – close to $7,000 – when their children reached age 12. Expenses for both boys and girls then began to rise again as they entered their teenaged years."

so if you really plan on NOT having kids, investing in reliable birth control will certainly prevent you from spending an estimated $100,000 on that little human, BEFORE they are 18 years of age....LOL

if you do cloth diapers, breastfeeding, and hand me downs, its not expensive at all, and being a mom is just the most awsomest job in the world, i wouldnt trade it in for the world. if you are co-sleeping, you dont even need a crib, and you change a diaper on the floor, thrift stores/garage sales/hand me downs for dressers, slap some paint (you can get misstints or even dented cans in some stores for 1/2 price). but car seats shouldnt be second hand, you want you child to be safe!
i dont know how it works in other provinces or if it even works for everybody in manitoba, but you can get your prescription filled for the cheap iuds (not the ones that can stay up there for 5 years, just the ones that get changed every year) and cheap pills (the low dose) and depo provera by your public health nurse for free! and you can get free condoms too from public health!

[Tatjana]

Thought I'll add in one thing we did that saved us a lot of money...

Hubby and I didn't have a TV for a good 7 years!

No TV, no cable, no commercials fanning and feeding imagined desires and wants... Oodles of money saved!

Confession though.. We did finally buy a TV last November... BUT we still don't have cable, and I still don't watch TV! We mainly use it for our Wii, PS2, and for watching movies. Even then, we only really use it on an average of twice a month.

The minus about this is that I have no clue what people are talking about when they talk about sitcoms and reality TV shows.

we dont have tv either, we have a computer where we watch movies on it, we did buy tv series on dvd that we watch, and not snacking while watching helps save some too when i was working i watched tv on my lunch break, but i dont miss it.

[Tatjana]

Increase your deductibles. You will pay more if you have an accident, but your premiums will also decrease. Chances are over a lifetime of driving, you will only make a couple of claims. This can save a lot of money.

thats what we do, and its so much cheaper, especially on new vehicles.

[ashedfc]

Here is something info on- How to save money!
Lifestyle expenditures are the easiest place to find the extra money to start saving.

http://www.edfc.ca/e-newsletter/2010...LL-2010-09.pdf

[ashedfc]

Some serious way to save money

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal...riced-products

&
http://www.investopedia.com/slide-sh...artner=yahooca

[Cheap]

I read the comment about printer ink being outrageously priced in one of the links posted by Ashedfc.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to save on printer ink (besides not using the printer)? I have an ink jet printer and it costs me a lot of money every time one of the ink cartridges has to be replaced. I thought about filling one of the cartridges with water, but someone told me that it could wreck the machine if I did that.

[brunt]

I read the comment about printer ink being outrageously priced in one of the links posted by Ashedfc.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to save on printer ink (besides not using the printer)? I have an ink jet printer and it costs me a lot of money every time one of the ink cartridges has to be replaced. I thought about filling one of the cartridges with water, but someone told me that it could wreck the machine if I did that.

I buy them on eBay. Much cheaper.

[ashedfc]

I read the comment about printer ink being outrageously priced in one of the links posted by Ashedfc.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to save on printer ink (besides not using the printer)? I have an ink jet printer and it costs me a lot of money every time one of the ink cartridges has to be replaced. I thought about filling one of the cartridges with water, but someone told me that it could wreck the machine if I did that.

Change your printer to LASER (the cartridge costs initially, but you get best of quality print, & it lasts long).

[brunt]

Change your printer to LASER (the cartridge costs initially, but you get best of quality print, & it lasts long).

I have done this myself, and I considered posting it too.

My current laser printer cost me $60 after rebates at Staples. It's an HP Laserjet 1020. I get toner cartridges for $20 from eBay. The cartridge lasts me a couple of years.

The only downside is that you don't get colour. But you get a superior print, with no lines, bleed or wet paper. Much faster than an ink jet too.